Psalms 12-14

By Ellen Cousins

Psalms 13 - The prayer of the distressed

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote that "The Psalter is the great school of prayer." In Psalm 13 we find a prayer that David prayed at a time of great distress. Although in most cases nothing we face today compares with David's circumstances, we can still learn a lot from his example regarding how we ought to communicate with God when we're facing trials in life.

The first thing David does in his prayer is express how he feels to God. He is very honest with God, not conjuring up falsely positive feelings. In that moment, it feels as though God has left him on his own, and he is not afraid to say this. Furthermore, when David asks God for an answer, he states his plea with great desperation ("answer me ...  lest I sleep the sleep of death" (v3).

When we are struggling with difficult circumstances, there can often be a disconnect between how we know we ought to feel and how we actually feel (Rom 7:18). We know we should feel at peace and confident in God's good plan but in fact we feel worry and doubt. David's prayer reminds us that in these times, we should not try to hide these feeling from God (as if He, our Creator, doesn't know how we're feeling). Instead, we should express them to Him. It is only through God's work in our lives that we can feel joy and confidence in the midst of trials. Denying our true feelings or refusing to turn to God until we have corrected them ourselves is never going to work.

Of course it is important to note that, while sometimes we may feel that God has forsaken us, in fact He will never do so (Joshua 1:5). Remarkably, what made possible this relationship with God, on which we can rely completely, is that the Son of God took upon himself the burden of all our sins, crying out on the cross "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" (Matt 27:46)?

In this Psalm, David is able to find encouragement by reminding himself of God's love and salvation and goodness, on which he can rest assured. But it is interesting (and encouraging) to note that, although this Psalm ends on a more positive note, not all Psalms (prayers) have to (e.g., Psalms 44, 88). God always desires to hear our prayers, even if we are at a point where we only feel doubt and fear (Hosea 7:14).